He Has
Brought His Wife Here For Her Health, And Is As Glad To Talk As I
Am.
The conversation of an educated, clever person, is quite a new
and delightful sensation to me now.
He appears to have held high
posts under the East India Company, is learned in Oriental
languages, and was last resident at Singapore. He says that no
doubt Java is Paradise, it is so lovely, and such a climate; but he
does not look as if it had agreed with him. I feel quite heart-
sick at seeing these letters go off before me, instead of leaving
them behind, as I had hoped.
Well, I must say good-bye - or rather, 'auf Wiedersehn' - and God
knows how glad I shall be when that day comes!
LETTER XIII
Capetown, April 19th.
Dearest mother,
Here I am, waiting for a ship; the steamer was too horrid: and I
look so much to the good to be gained by the voyage that I did not
like to throw away the chance of two months at sea at this
favourable time of year, and under favourable circumstances; so I
made up my mind to see you all a month later. The sea just off the
Cape is very, very cold; less so now than in spring, I dare say.
The weather to-day is just like VERY warm April at home - showery,
sunshiny, and fragrant; most lovely. It is so odd to see an autumn
without dead leaves: only the oaks lose theirs, the old ones drop
without turning brown, and the trees bud again at once. The rest
put on a darker green dress for winter, and now the flowers will
begin. I have got a picture for you of my 'cart and four', with
sedate Choslullah and dear little Mohammed. The former wants to go
with me, 'anywhere', as he placidly said, 'to be the missis'
servant'. What a sensation his thatchlike hat and handsome orange-
tawny face would make at Esher! Such a stalwart henchman would be
very creditable. I shall grieve to think I shall never see my
Malay friends again; they are the only people here who are really
interesting. I think they must be like the Turks in manner, as
they have all the eastern gentlemanly 'Gelassenheit' (ease) and
politeness, and no eastern 'Geschmeidigkeit' (obsequiousness), and
no idea of Baksheesh; withal frugal, industrious, and money-making,
to an astonishing degree. The priest is a bit of a proselytiser,
and amused me much with an account of how he had converted English
girls from their evil courses and made them good Mussulwomen. I
never heard a naif and sincere account of conversions FROM
Christianity before, and I must own it was much milder than the
Exeter Hall style.
I have heard a great many expressions of sorrow for the Queen from
the Malays, and always with the 'hope the people will take much
care of her, now she is alone'. Of course Prince Albert was only
the Queen's husband to them, and all their feeling is about her.
It is very difficult to see anything of them, for they want nothing
of you, and expect nothing but dislike and contempt.
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